Turned professional at 17, Bakary Samake is a precocious boxer. Under the eyes of his father, he gradually rose through the ranks of his category. On March 18, he will fight for his first world title. An opportunity in or for the young man from Seine-Saint-Denis, from a family where boxing is passed down from generation to generation.
Bakary Samake’s career is atypical. It is the itinerary of a young boxer made of sacrifices, travels and victories. At 19, the native of Aubervilliers is about to play his first fight for a world title. On March 18 in Gagny, in his department of Seine-Saint-Denis, he will face the Argentinian Lucas Brian Ariel Bastida. At stake is the under-25 world champion belt in the superwelter category, which includes boxers weighing between 66 and 69 kilos. One more step, for the young prodigy who is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, and his father who has been training him since a very young age.
« This sport has given me a healthy living environment »
Beyond the sporting aspect, boxing is also a way for Bakary to build a living environment and avoid certain deviations. « It brought me discipline in everyday life. The rigor of schedules, the overcoming of my physical limits are things that I learned in the ring. « It was essential for me to have these landmarks. Other people in my neighborhood were not so lucky, and some fell into drugs and violence, » says the man who has lived in Gagny for many years.
He then sees boxing as a way to get by and emancipate himself. Several decades earlier, his grandfather had made the same choice. « My father was part of the first generation of African immigrants to arrive in France. The fact of boxing among professionals allowed him to integrate here », says the father of the young boxer.
Professional boxer at 17
This youth spent on the rings alongside his father, Bakary does not regret it. However, he knows that this commitment required a lot of sacrifices. « When you’re young, you want to have fun, but personally, I had a goal, to become a professional and I was ready to put aside distractions to achieve it. »
